EEVblog #1248 - INSANE A 0.02% Process Meter for $9? WTF

[hwti]

I see we both got the same message word for word from "different" sellers so obviously same people .... I bought from "tonethiny" ....

Same too.

I wonder how the site shows the transaction history on the product page. When I ordered, there was nothing, now there are 66 transactions and I'm on the first page, which means a lot of orders before mine.

[member_xyz]

Yep,

Now asking for  additional $65.36 to help him cover a loss.

yaseri 2019-09-29 14:44

Dear friends
Then are you willing to help us make up the difference?
Because our system had an error before
The price before the purchase of this product was wrong.
We just recommend you the product at the same price as the one you paid for.
If you want this product
Can you help us make up $65.36?
This is the lowest price we can give you.
The remaining loss is paid by us
Is this okay?
Please open the link below and put in the number 86
And complete the payment
We will arrange the delivery for you right away.
Thank you
https://www.dhgate.com/product/roadlover-additional-postage-for-express/476686118.html

[CheckOne Two]

Yep,

Now asking for  additional $65.36 to help him cover a loss.

yaseri 2019-09-29 14:44

Dear friends
Then are you willing to help us make up the difference?
Because our system had an error before
The price before the purchase of this product was wrong.
We just recommend you the product at the same price as the one you paid for.
If you want this product
Can you help us make up $65.36?
This is the lowest price we can give you.
The remaining loss is paid by us
Is this okay?
Please open the link below and put in the number 86
And complete the payment
We will arrange the delivery for you right away.
Thank you
https://www.dhgate.com/product/roadlover-additional-postage-for-express/476686118.html

Yes exact same message going to everybody it seems ..... as I detailed in my last post  I just replied saying with the high chance of faults I wasn't willing to pay more than the original price and didn't think the majority of others would either ...... so he was probably looking at a very high % of returns by trying to raise the price ......

[CheckOne Two]

I see we both got the same message word for word from "different" sellers so obviously same people .... I bought from "tonethiny" ....

Same too.

I wonder how the site shows the transaction history on the product page. When I ordered, there was nothing, now there are 66 transactions and I'm on the first page, which means a lot of orders before mine.

I think the number maxed out at 66 and there are a lot more ...... I watched it go up very quickly then stop at 66 hours ago.

[CheckOne Two]

Here's the latest ... feel like they're trying to railroad me into picking the option that suits them best or the refund will take ages:



Dear friends
I don't know if this product will be like this.
When I found out, you have already placed the order.
But we can only take it off the shelf
Because the price we can send you is far behind $23
We need to pay for shipping
If you don't make up the difference,
We are willing to help you with a refund
You can open the dispute and choose the reason:item now not required
Only for this reason can we help you with a quick refund
Please understand
Thank you

What do you think .... ?

[Smokey]

Just checked.  My Aliexpress guy doesn't look like he's trying any funny business.  Still says "Awaiting Shipment", so I could probably see the thing show up in the next ... eventually.

[beanflying]

You placed a listing to a price which I accepted and purchased the item this is forms a contract which you now want to renegotiate after I have paid for that contract?

This is not okay or acceptable and is you clearly trying to breech or not fulfill that contract.

You now seem to be saying you have the calibrators available to send straight away if I agree to your revised offer. So you were not telling the truth in your first message about still being in production?

My last missive to dhgate  after they wanted to negotiate. 

[hwti]

The vendor is also trying to make me cancel, but with a slightly different message :

Dear friends
I am very sorry to tell you.
We are no longer in stock
Can we help you with a refund?
Please open the dispute and choose the reason for the dispute: item now not required
Only for this reason can we help you with a quick refund
Please understand
Thank you

[ataradov]

I would research the reason for dispute. I bet it is not the only way they can "help". And that reason probably benefits them in some way.

[EEVblog]

I bought one too. I got these messages:

They tried to scam me too by asking me to switch to a normal multimeter.
This is what they attached:

That's 

[CheckOne Two]

I would research the reason for dispute. I bet it is not the only way they can "help". And that reason probably benefits them in some way.

Agreed ..... I replied saying that the item was required and that if it has to go to dispute I will choose a suitable reason that covers the attempted raising of the price.

It's just not on for items with a high chance of faults ......

[maginnovision]

Since they all just copied and pasted their listings maybe they really didn't realize it wasn't the typical garbage until all of a sudden they all started to sell.

[EEVblog]

So this is an interesting development.
I guess I got mine "under the radar" as they didn't know what they were selling at that price, but once the orders started to flood in I can picture the shouts going across the halls of the Shenzhen markets "There's a run on this process meter thing, stop shipments!"

[CheckOne Two]

Just checked.  My Aliexpress guy doesn't look like he's trying any funny business.  Still says "Awaiting Shipment", so I could probably see the thing show up in the next ... eventually.

Fingers crossed for you ....

[maginnovision]

I ordered 1 from 4 "different" sellers on aliexpress...

Although I recall an aneng 870 meter I sent back(assistant spent $100 on return shipping  ) and they still only ever said "we never get meter" and I didn't even get a replacement $30 meter... So I may be out $30 again. At least those rdtech guys ship their products in working form. Usually.

[hwti]

I would research the reason for dispute. I bet it is not the only way they can "help". And that reason probably benefits them in some way.

Perhaps the platform investigate when sellers cancel a lot of orders, and they get penalized.
Or maybe it reflects on the feedback score, if we can vote or not depending on the dispute reason. The two vendors from dhgate don't have a lot of reviews, so getting up to 60 negative ones would really affect their score.

[CheckOne Two]

I would research the reason for dispute. I bet it is not the only way they can "help". And that reason probably benefits them in some way.

Perhaps the platform investigate when sellers cancel a lot of orders, and they get penalized.
Or maybe it reflects on the feedback score, if we can vote or not depending on the dispute reason. The two vendors from dhgate don't have a lot of reviews, so getting up to 60 negative ones would really affect their score.

I'm pretty sure it's probably MUCH more than 60 ................

[Nusa]

They're collectively trying to get you to "fix" the problem from your end, which relieves them of any buyer protection policies that might apply. And at least in the case of Aliexpress, the opportunity to give publicly visible feedback on the transaction goes away if YOU cancel the order. Those stores live and die by their feedback scores, in some cases.

My advice to most of you is not to agree to anything and leave the onus of changing the contract to the seller, rather than giving them an easy out.

[Kleinstein]

That the brand name was removed shows that this is not just stolen parts or so. It takes quite some effort to remove it, especially if the instrument is already assembled. My guess would be that the slightly unreliable operation that Dave had could be the cause and this could be something like a flawed first series or maybe returns that than get the brand name removed and sold for cheap instead of going to the waste.
I don't think it would be something as simple as failing on the EMI / FCC test - or the dodgy CAT III rating - the Chinese usually don't care much about these.

For DMM it is OK to have the USB only one direction, but for a calibrator one may like to have both directions.

[RoGeorge]

AliExpress and other small online shops does not have stock.

- The end customer place an online order to a small shop.
- After the payment was approved, the small shop place a centralized order to the warehouse.

At this point it is very clear that the warehouse changed the price, so the price jumped about 5-10 times over night.  A small shop will not have money to take the hit, so they will try to mitigate the loss.  No matter what, the shop will take some damage, either in money or in reputation.

Insisting to get the order is a very unfair thing to do to the shop owners.  Most of those who ordered placed their order not because they were actively looking for a calibrator, but because knowing/hoping they'll get some undeserved advantage.

Legal?  Yes.
Ethical?  No.

[ataradov]

The amount of times I was screwed up by "small shops", I find it hard to feel sorry.

[CheckOne Two]

They're collectively trying to get you to "fix" the problem from your end, which relieves them of any buyer protection policies that might apply. And at least in the case of Aliexpress, the opportunity to give publicly visible feedback on the transaction goes away if YOU cancel the order. Those stores live and die by their feedback scores, in some cases.

My advice to most of you is not to agree to anything and leave the onus of changing the contract to the seller, rather than giving them an easy out.

Agreed ... that is what I have done and would advise others to do too .... if apparent demand drops and the sellers realise these have a high chance of defect the price may go back down.

Don't make it easy for them .... they were obviously making a profit at $10 .......

[CheckOne Two]

Are the patreon purchasers also getting higher price demands?

[Deodand2014]

That the brand name was removed shows that this is not just stolen parts or so. It takes quite some effort to remove it, especially if the instrument is already assembled. My guess would be that the slightly unreliable operation that Dave had could be the cause and this could be something like a flawed first series or maybe returns that than get the brand name removed and sold for cheap instead of going to the waste.
I don't think it would be something as simple as failing on the EMI / FCC test - or the dodgy CAT III rating - the Chinese usually don't care much about these.

For DMM it is OK to have the USB only one direction, but for a calibrator one may like to have both directions.

That was my first thought as well, though I was thinking more a duff batch that had been taken from the skip at the back of the factory and 'cleaned up' for a quick sale.

[Samueru]

Yep,

Now asking for  additional $65.36 to help him cover a loss.

yaseri 2019-09-29 14:44

Dear friends
Then are you willing to help us make up the difference?
Because our system had an error before
The price before the purchase of this product was wrong.
We just recommend you the product at the same price as the one you paid for.
If you want this product
Can you help us make up $65.36?
This is the lowest price we can give you.
The remaining loss is paid by us
Is this okay?
Please open the link below and put in the number 86
And complete the payment
We will arrange the delivery for you right away.
Thank you
https://www.dhgate.com/product/roadlover-additional-postage-for-express/476686118.html

What does 86 mean there? 86$? The asked for 65$ and then told you to input 86$?